Chapter 72: Failed Recruitment (Two-in-One Chapter)
Inside the Arlong Park, the battle between the Marines and the Arlong Pirates was raging fiercely.
Both sides had people getting injured—it was unavoidable in combat—but overall, the Marines held a significant advantage. They had greater numbers, and whenever someone was hurt, other Marine soldiers would cover them and allow the wounded to fall back. On the pirate side, however, under the bombardment of the warship's cannons, quite a few fish-men had already died from cannonball hits, their injuries too severe.
The Marine soldiers noticed this. If they had felt some fear before the battle started, now that they had the upper hand, their morale naturally rose. They were now treating this fight like a real combat drill.
This was the scene Ian saw from beside the warship, and it put him at ease. As long as no Marines died, it was fine. As for injuries, hah! That was nothing. Don't forget, Ian had the Shura card; even if someone got hurt, he could heal them. That was also the confidence behind his promise to Smoker that he would bring the Marines back safely.
However, Ian had been standing by the warship for a while now, originally on guard against a possible attack from Momoo, but the sea king never showed up.
"Damn! Is Arlong messing with me? Sending me over to the warship so he can escape?" Ian thought, but then he shook his head. He didn't think that was likely. Arlong valued his fish-man comrades and believed they were the superior race; he wouldn't abandon them and run off alone.
So Ian stopped worrying. If Momoo wasn't coming, he would just go after Arlong again. He shouted to the Marines on the ship, "Fire a few cannonballs into the pool!"
"Yes, Instructor!" The Marine soldiers in charge of the cannons saluted Ian below the ship, adjusted their aim, and fired.
The shells whistled through the air, splashing into the water and exploding with a roar, sending up towering waves.
The shockwaves traveled through the water, making Arlong, hiding in the pool, extremely uncomfortable. He hadn't expected Ian to have the Marines bombard him with cannons. This repeated provocation made Arlong angrier and angrier. He had originally wanted to take it easy, wait for Momoo to deal with the warship, and then see the terrified expressions on the Marines' faces. But Momoo still hadn't shown up, and Arlong didn't know what had gone wrong with Hachi. So, he decided to surface from the water.
Just then, another cannonball came flying toward the pool. Arlong suddenly opened his mouth wide, revealing rows of sharp teeth, and caught the shell in his mouth!
The round cannonball was clamped between his jaws. He clenched down hard, and it exploded!
With a boom, Arlong's mouth was blown apart. But as the smoke cleared, Arlong stood there unfazed, opening his mouth to exhale a puff of smoke.
This scene of him biting and exploding a cannonball was witnessed by many Marine soldiers, and they were stunned!
Arlong laughed loudly, "See that, you stupid humans? The biggest difference between you and me is our race! In this world full of seas, only we fish-men are the natural rulers!"
He leaped from the water onto the shore and charged straight at Tashigi.
"Not good!" Ian's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately ran toward Tashigi's position.
Arlong coming out of the water was a good thing, but he was using the distance between him and Ian to attack the Marines, and his first target was Tashigi. Ian knew Tashigi was no match for Arlong, so he had to save her.
Seeing Arlong pounce, Tashigi reacted quickly, swinging her sword at him. But Arlong didn't dodge or evade; he suddenly stretched his neck and bit down on her blade!
With a "crack," Tashigi's sword shattered in Arlong's mouth. The strength of his jaws was beyond her imagination—even steel was crushed.
Although Tashigi's sword wasn't a high-quality weapon, once it broke, she had no weapon left. Startled, she fell backward onto the ground.
Arlong didn't hesitate. He opened his mouth again and bit toward Tashigi's shoulder.
Swish! Blood splattered. Tashigi couldn't dodge in time and only managed to raise her arm to block, so Arlong's bite landed on her left wrist. She screamed in pain.
But this girl had a tough streak. After recovering from the shock, her first instinct wasn't to pull her wrist away—if she did, it might tear off—but instead to smash the broken hilt still in her right hand hard into Arlong's eye!
Arlong winced in pain and let go. Tashigi's blow cracked the corner of his eye, drawing blood.
"You...!" Arlong was furious. Beaten like this by a woman? He no longer held back and opened his mouth to bite at her throat!
"Petty Officer Tashigi!" The Marine soldiers watching screamed. If that bite landed on her throat, she was dead. But they were too far away to save her.
Tashigi felt like her end had come and closed her eyes.
But just then, a long blade shot in from the side, blocking Arlong's teeth and saving Tashigi's life.
"How can you close your eyes when an opponent attacks?" A voice sounded beside Tashigi's ear. "I don't remember teaching you that!"
Opening her eyes, Tashigi saw Ian gripping his sword with both hands, holding back Arlong's gaping maw. A mix of sorrow and joy washed over her.
"Damn it!" Arlong hadn't expected Ian to run over so fast. Seeing Ian's blade in his mouth, he gritted his teeth and tried to bite down on it, intending to snap it like he had Tashigi's sword.
But Ian wasn't about to give him that chance. In the next second, roaring flames erupted along Ian's blade, and he yanked it back!
The principle of the Evil King Flame Slayer Sword was to condense flames around the blade, forming a sharper, fiery edge. When Ian pulled his sword back, it was like slashing a cut inside Arlong's mouth, making him scream in pain.
His upper and lower jaws were both cut by the blade. Arlong could bite through cannonballs, but he couldn't bite through flames. The pain drove him a bit mad. He reached up, pulled out a tooth from his mouth, and held it in his hand. Then, a new set of teeth quickly grew back—Arlong was a sawshark fish-man, so his teeth could regenerate indefinitely. He pulled out another, now holding two shark teeth, and attacked Ian with them.
Ian swung his long blade, continuously blocking Arlong's strikes. The teeth and blade clashed with a clanging sound. Arlong tried to use the two teeth to clamp Ian's weapon and crush it, but Ian didn't give him the chance. Whenever the blade was about to be caught, Ian would twist his wrist to deflect the force, using the technique very skillfully.
The Marine soldiers who had been learning swordsmanship from Ian finally saw the power of their instructor's technique. Just as he said, it was all basic moves, but applied in real combat, they were effortless. The rotation of his wrist and the swing of his weapon were perfectly coordinated. There were no flashy sword techniques, but Arlong's attacks were all rendered useless.
After dozens of exchanges, Arlong realized his moves weren't working on Ian. He suddenly changed tactics, thrusting his long, sharp, serrated nose straight at Ian.
But this move, against Ian who was fully focused, was still a bit too slow. Ian sidestepped to dodge, then reached out with one hand and grabbed Arlong's nose. Even though Arlong's sharp nose cut his hand and drew blood, Ian ignored the pain and tightened his grip!
Blazing flames erupted from his fist holding Arlong's nose. Ian poured out his psychic power, and the temperature of the Evil King Flame Slayer Fist's flames began to rise. The fire turned blue, then started shifting toward white.
Arlong finally screamed in agony. Ian was only holding the tip of his nose, but Arlong felt like the bones at the grip were melting!
When Ian finally let go, half of Arlong's nose was gone. The front part was just a charred mess. When Arlong touched it, it broke off and fell in two pieces.
Defeating someone is simple—you just need to seize one opportunity. Ian melted off Arlong's nose with his flames, dealing a heavy blow. Then, while Arlong was incapacitated, he pummeled him repeatedly with the Evil King Flame Slayer Fist. The flames attached to his fists began burning all over Arlong's body.
Arlong writhed on the ground in pain, rolling around. Going up against an opponent who used flames like Ian was his worst nightmare. His proud long nose was gone, and unlike his teeth, his nose couldn't regenerate. That meant Arlong would have to live with half a nose for the rest of his life.
Seeing their captain writhing on the ground like a ball of fire, the fish-men of the Arlong Pirates lost their will to resist. They stared blankly at Arlong, listening to his screams.
For every pirate crew, their captain is their pride. In the eyes of pirates, their captain is invincible. Seeing Arlong in this miserable state, the fish-men felt like their idol had crumbled.
This made it even easier for the Marines to clean up the rest.
Arlong eventually rolled into the pool water to extinguish the flames on his body. Ian walked over, dragged him out of the water, and found him barely alive, covered in burns, his body charred.
Seeing Arlong like this, Ian knew he couldn't fight anymore. The battle was over. He had thought about finishing him off with one slash, but now, looking at him, Ian couldn't bring himself to do it.
Tashigi was also watching Ian closely, afraid he might kill Arlong. She still remembered what happened at Loguetown Square. When she saw Ian drag Arlong over, she breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe it was her kind nature—even knowing Arlong was a notorious pirate, Tashigi couldn't bear to see someone die in front of her.
"He's yours!" Ian tossed Arlong near Tashigi. "Let him rot in prison for life!"
"Don't worry, his crimes will be judged!" Tashigi said.
But just then, a voice suddenly rang out, shouting, "Kill him!"
Ian looked in the direction of the voice and his eyes lit up. It was Nami! He had been wondering why the key figure hadn't shown up at Arlong Park, and now she finally appeared.
The one shouting was naturally Nami, with her signature short orange hair. When she arrived at Arlong Park, she saw Arlong being burned by Ian's flames. Seeing Arlong's miserable state, she felt an indescribable satisfaction. She had been hiding and watching, but when she saw Ian handing Arlong over to the Marines, she couldn't hold back anymore.
She held a stick in her hand, her face covered in tears, and shouted at Ian and Tashigi, "Kill him! Do you know what he did!? Why let him live?"
Tashigi and the Marine soldiers stared blankly at Nami, not understanding who this suddenly appearing girl was or why she hated Arlong so much.
The fish-men of the Arlong Pirates, however, gritted their teeth and glared at Nami.
Only Ian knew why, so he couldn't help but sigh.
Tashigi said seriously, "Whether to kill him or not isn't up to you. We Marines will put him in prison..."
Before she could finish, Ian reached out and stopped her. He bent down, picked up Arlong, and tossed him forward toward Nami. "If you want to kill him, do it yourself!"
His mother had been killed right in front of him. Ian knew the pain in Nami's heart, so he wanted to give her a chance for revenge. Tashigi didn't understand Ian's actions and stood up to stop him, but Ian grabbed her arm.
Nami, her face streaked with tears, walked up to the barely conscious Arlong. She raised the stick high, aiming at his head.
But for some reason, with the chance for revenge right in front of her, Nami found she couldn't do it.
She suddenly dropped the stick, sat down on the ground, hugged her knees, and burst into tears.
Ian smiled slightly. He found that Nami was still the same Nami. Despite her deep hatred for Arlong and her constant desire for revenge, she hadn't been completely blinded by it. Her nature was still kind.
Whether this outcome was good or bad, Ian didn't know. He couldn't guess what was going through Nami's mind. He didn't disturb her as she cried, just quietly observed.
To be honest, Nami at this moment was very different from the image Ian had in his mind. She was only 15 years old! She was just a young girl starting to develop, with none of that voluptuous figure. She looked very green, which made Ian a bit disappointed—he felt like he was missing out on a visual treat.
Seeing that Nami hadn't gone through with it, Tashigi also relaxed. She walked over and tied up Arlong.
Ian crouched down beside Nami and asked, "What's your name?"
Even though he knew her name, he couldn't just say it outright, or Tashigi and the others might find it strange.
Nami sobbed, not looking up, and answered, "My name is Nami."
Ian chose his words carefully. "I don't know what grudge you have against Arlong, but now that he's caught, you can rest easy. What are your plans from now on?"
"I'm going back to Cocoyasi Village!" Nami finally looked up, wiping the tears from her eyes, a smile appearing on her face. "I'm going to tell everyone the good news! Arlong is caught, and our nightmare is over!"
Tsk! Hearing this answer, Ian felt a pang of frustration. This wasn't the answer he wanted!
He really wanted to ask Nami directly if she would come with him, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.
Yes, Ian had come to deal with the Arlong Pirates not just for Arlong's bounty, but also for Nami. After talking to Johnny and Yosaku, Ian felt he needed some companions. In the East Blue, the best person to have as a companion was undoubtedly Nami. Not only would she grow into a beautiful woman, but she was also a genius navigator. Where else could you find talent like that?
So, even though he knew Nami was Luffy's future companion, Ian still decided to try.
Honestly, Ian had thought it through. Every man for himself, and the devil take the hindmost. Since he had inexplicably come to this world, he had to look out for himself. He was now a participant in this world, not just an observer. He couldn't avoid Nami just because she would become Luffy's companion later, right?
But his probing question didn't yield the result he wanted. Just as Ian was hesitating on how to continue, Nami smiled at him and said, "You're the pirate hunter Ian, right? I've heard of you. You came after all!"
"You knew I was coming?" Ian asked, a bit surprised.
"Yeah, when I heard you had beaten the Buggy Pirates and the Krieg Pirates one after another, I figured you wouldn't let the Arlong Pirates off either!" Nami said with a charming smile. "And now you're here. I wasn't wrong about you! Thank you!"
Ian slapped his forehead. He had felt something was off earlier, and now that Nami said that, he realized what it was!
The way he showed up! Damn it, his entrance was wrong!
The reason Nami became Luffy's companion was because they met along the way and then defeated Arlong together. But Ian was different. He had appeared like a hero, or like a savior descending from the sky. This kind of dramatic entrance created distance between him and Nami, without that sense of camaraderie.
Ian suddenly felt like his plan had failed... He felt deflated.
But he wasn't willing to give up easily. Gritting his teeth, he said directly, "I'm planning to go on an adventure in the Grand Line, but I'm short on companions. Would you like to come with me?"
Nami looked puzzled. "Why do you want to invite me?"
Of course, Ian couldn't say, "I know you're a genius navigator, so I'm inviting you." That would be too strange. If Nami asked, "How do you know that?" Ian wouldn't have a good answer.
Nami was different from Ace. Ace was a guy, and men could easily build trust with each other. But women were sensitive to lies. Ian couldn't use the same trick he used on Ace to fool Nami.
So, he had to shamelessly say, "Because I think... you're my type..."
Even Ian felt embarrassed saying that. He felt like he was really going all out to win Nami over.
Hearing his words, Nami was stunned for a moment. Then, in the next second, she grabbed the skin on Ian's forehead and twisted it, scolding him fiercely, "Are you a pervert? I'm just a 15-year-old girl! Saying something so embarrassing right to my face!?"
Ian knew that with Nami's personality, she wouldn't act shy. But he never expected to be called a pervert, and she didn't care at all about his status as a hero and benefactor, grabbing him and twisting! This left Ian feeling indignant and wronged.
What Ian didn't know was that Nami's heart was actually a bit moved at that moment. Not because Ian said he liked her, but because she thought of her dream!
Nami's dream was to one day draw maps of the entire world. To achieve that, she would have to go out to sea. So, hearing Ian's invitation, she was tempted. But she couldn't bear to leave her sister Nojiko and the people of Cocoyasi Village, so she didn't agree immediately, just hesitated internally.
Just then, a Marine soldier who had been searching Arlong's base ran back to report to Tashigi, "Petty Officer Tashigi! We found the Arlong Pirates' safe in the base. It's been opened, and there's about twenty million Berries inside. What are your orders?"
Ian, still caught up in his indignation, jumped up at this and shouted, "Mine!!!"
His reasoning was simple: he had defeated and captured Arlong, so Arlong's money should be his spoils of war.
But as soon as Ian shouted, before Tashigi could even speak, Nami stood up too and yelled at Ian, "What do you mean yours!? That's the money Arlong extorted from our villages!"
Ian wasn't having it. From what Nami was saying, she wanted to take the money back and return it to the villagers? Was she kidding? Twenty million Berries—more than Arlong's bounty! Such a huge sum of money, and she wanted Ian to give it up?
"No way! That's my spoils of war!" Ian said to Nami.
"Spoils of war!?" Nami shot back. "It's clearly stolen goods! It needs to be returned to the rightful owners!"
The two started arguing. Tashigi tried to speak but couldn't get a word in. The Marine soldiers stared at Ian in shock, realizing their instructor was quite the money-grubber.
After arguing for a while, Nami finally got angry. She put her hands on her hips and said to Ian, "I was actually a bit tempted to go with you, but now I've changed my mind!"
Ian was stunned. "You... what did you just say?"
Nami huffed, "Did I not make myself clear? I've changed my mind. I'm not going with you!"
"Why? Over something this small?" Ian spread his hands, looking innocent. "We can talk about this! Let's negotiate—leave me some, and you can take the rest back to the villagers, okay?"
But Nami shook her head again. "I've thought about it. Our personalities probably don't match. If I got on your ship, would you let me handle the money?"
Ian hesitated immediately. How was that possible? He worked hard catching pirates to make money because he never had enough himself. How could he let someone else control it?
Seeing Ian's hesitant expression, Nami understood. She sighed, stepped forward, cupped his face, and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for the invitation, but forget it. Consider this kiss as thanks. I'll remember you."
Ian felt like crying but had no tears. This kind of thanks—he didn't want it at all!
He never expected that Nami had actually been a bit tempted to go with him. He thought she just wanted to stay with her family—after all, a 15-year-old girl clinging to her loved ones was understandable. Only after their argument did he suddenly realize that Nami had actually been considering it.
Women's minds are so hard to guess...
With things having come this far, inviting Nami was out of the question. Through this experience, Ian also realized he had been thinking too simply. His personality was different from Luffy's; he couldn't just replicate Luffy's path to recruiting companions. Even if he found companions, there was the issue of compatibility. Nami, like him, liked to keep control of money. Only someone as carefree as Luffy wouldn't mind Nami's personality. For Ian, even if Nami was a genius navigator, she might not be a good companion.
With that, Ian gave up on the idea of finding others. He had originally thought about going to the Baratie to try his luck and see if he could recruit Sanji. But now, looking at it, recruiting Sanji was also impossible. That pervy cook—how could he get on a ship with another guy and start a bromance?